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en-usEngadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronicsCopyright 2018 AOL Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.https://www.engadget.com/2018/03/16/alcatel-s-android-go-phone-is-headed-to-the-us/https://www.engadget.com/2018/03/16/alcatel-s-android-go-phone-is-headed-to-the-us/https://www.engadget.com/2018/03/16/alcatel-s-android-go-phone-is-headed-to-the-us/#comments

Two of the phones Alcatel revealed last month at MWC will be coming to the US, the company confirmed. One is the affordable Alcatel 1X is the brand's first to feature Android Go, a version of the OS customized for lower-performing hardware, while the other is its dual-camera 3V smartphone. Both models will be GSM-unlocked and available in the coming months.

The world's first Android Go phones debuted here at Mobile World Congress, and they just might change the way Android works for the developing world. We took some time to get acquainted with some of these new devices, but in case you're not entirely up to speed on Go itself, we've prepared this handy primer.

When I first saw its 2018 phone lineup, Alcatel was clear: Its plan for this year was to make premium smartphone features available for much less than typical flagship prices. In this case, Alcatel means giving 18:9 screens, fingerprint sensors, and elaborate camera setups to as many people as possible. Based on some hands-on time here in Barcelona, Alcatel seems to have done a fine job democratizing these features; the real question is how the phones will stand up to the rest of the impressive low-cost devices we expect to see as the show goes on.

Although CES 2018 has almost every electronics company in the world announcing new devices, most phone makers are saving their big reveals for the upcoming Mobile World Congress in February. It's no surprise, then, that Alcatel didn't have new devices ready to unveil. But the company did give us a preview of the low-cost handsets it plans to give more details about later this year. The new phones will not only use (parent company) TCL's screens with 18:9 aspect ratios and feature sleek designs but also use a simplified naming system. We saw prototypes of the Alcatel 1x, 3v and 5 -- which are potential models of the sub-$100, sub-$200 and sub-$300 series, respectively.

Alcatel is back with a new Idol flagship that won't cost you a month's rent (unlike some other phones we know). The Idol 5 is the latest addition to the company's line of affordable handsets that offer mid- to high-end specs. The international version made an appearance at IFA earlier this month, but we now have details of the Idol 5's release here in the US. The phone will be available exclusively on Cricket Wireless starting October 27th for just $200, and from my brief hands-on with a preview unit, I'm cautiously impressed by what it offers.

Alcatel's Idol 4S phone was a good value at $350, but its emphasis on virtual reality support (such as a box that doubled as a headset) may have held it back. Unless you're a big VR fan, wouldn't you rather spend less on a no-frills device? You're getting that opportunity soon. Amazon is including Alcatel's new Idol 5S in its latest wave of Prime Exclusive phones, and it's clear that you're getting a solid deal. If you're an Amazon Prime subscriber, the unlocked handset will ship on July 10th for $200 -- you'll have to put up with Amazon's offers and ads, but that's a low price for what looks to be a well-rounded device. It's also available in a standard $280 version if you'd rather not turn your phone into a tiny billboard.

Amazon seems to be keen on growing its ad-subsidized "Prime Exclusive" lineup, because the tech titan has added five more unlocked smartphones to the list. One of them is the Nokia 6, HMD Global's first Android device in the US, which you can get for $180 instead of $229 if you're a Prime member. Moto E4, which is already incredibly cheap at $130, has also joined its Moto G siblings in the lineup for $30 less its original price. The Alcatel IDOL 5S, A50 and A30 Plus make up the rest of the five new devices and will set you back $200 ($80 lower than retail), $100 ($50 lower) and $80 ($50 lower), respectively.

You've got to give BlackBerry credit for refusing to die. After the underwhelming launch and life of BB10, the company pledged allegiance to Android, whipped up a strangely cool slider phone, then farmed out production of all new BlackBerrys to external partners. The journey has been difficult to watch at times, but it seems like the transition is starting to pay off. After a pair of all-touch phones, BlackBerry and partner TCL have released the KEYone, heralding the return of the classic candy-bar-with-keyboard design.

The Priv was an ambitious attempt at a flagship,and the DTEK50 and DTEK60 were barely recognizable as part of the line. The KEYone, however, is the first BlackBerry in years to feel, well, like a BlackBerry. Surprise, surprise: It's a pretty great little phone, too. Fans will be glad to know the KEYone is the best Android-powered BlackBerry to date, but I don't expect this to move the needle for many others.

Remember the good old days, when having a camera on your phone was considered cutting-edge technology? These days, most smartphones rock two cameras, and an increasingnumber are sporting two on the back and one up front, bringing the total to three. Apparently, that isn't enough. At least, not according to Alcatel. The affordable phone maker is selling a phone with four cameras -- two on the back and two in front -- called the Flash.

Amazon may have given up on the Fire phone, but the company's line of low-cost "Prime Exclusive" ad-subsidized smartphones is getting a refresh today. The program launched last year with a respectable lineup of discounted, unlocked handsets that have topped Amazon's sales charts for ever since. This week, Amazon is adding more choice to that lineup with the recently launched Moto G5 Plus and the thrifty Alcatel A30, which will retail for $184.99 and $59.99 respectively.

It's February, which can mean only one thing: the MWC tanks are rolling into Barcelona. We're expecting to see a lot of new phones and tablets. The fun starts later today, with BlackBerry hosting a press conference, where we're expecting to see the final reveal of the "Mercury" phone we saw back at CES. There could be a few more surprises along the way, so be sure to tune in right here at 1PM ET.

Two years ago, the world of smartphones looked very different. It was hard to find a decent phone for less than $500, batteries took forever to charge, and screens were generally smaller than five inches. These days, you can get a long-lasting 5.2-inch (or larger) phone with speedy performance and the latest operating system for $400. Heck, you can even get one for $200.

Eagle-eyed BlackBerry fans (if there are any left) have probably been following the rumors about a device that is supposedly codenamed Mercury. They may have even caught the little teasers that TCL Communications president Steve Cistulli has been sharing on his Twitter in the past day. To no one's surprise, the reports were true, and TCL has indeed been working on its first BlackBerry handset since it bought the brand.

Mercury isn't the upcoming smartphone's official name (although how cool would it be if it were!), but the company is going with the flow and adopting it as a placeholder name for now. Indeed, even though we saw an intriguingly familiar and striking prototype here at CES 2017, much of the phone's specs are still unknown. Cistulli couldn't yet share information on price or availability, but was happy to show us the working model and highlight three features the company can confirm. From my preview, the Mercury looks to be a better-looking, non-sliding BlackBerry Priv, and has the potential to please fans and perhaps even win over new customers.

BlackBerry's days of making its own smartphones are over, and that means it's time to hand the responsibilities over to someone else. The Canadian company has reached a "long-term" deal with TCL (which repurposed Alcatel phones as the BlackBerry DTEK50 and DTEK60) that licenses both the BlackBerry name and software for future devices. TCL will design, build, sell and support the hardware -- BlackBerry is just putting its security-oriented spins on the resulting handsets. You'll learn more about the phones resulting from the deal in the "coming months."

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alcatelandroidblackberrygearmobilesmartphonetclThu, 15 Dec 2016 17:53:00 -050021|21628801https://www.engadget.com/2016/11/10/alcatel-idol-4s-windows-hands-on/https://www.engadget.com/2016/11/10/alcatel-idol-4s-windows-hands-on/https://www.engadget.com/2016/11/10/alcatel-idol-4s-windows-hands-on/#comments
Google is leading the mobile VR race with its Daydream platform and headset, but Microsoft is getting ready to join in too. Alcatel has made a $470 Windows 10-powered version of its Idol 4S phone, and it's the first mobile device running this OS to have virtual-reality capabilities. Like its Android brother, the new Idol also comes with its own headset. I played around with it to see if this first stab at VR on Windows 10 Mobile is any good. Unfortunately, it isn't.
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alcatelalcatelidol4sgadgetrygadgetsgearmicrosoftmobilepersonal computingpersonalcomputingvirtualrealityvrvrheadsetwindowswindows10windows10mobilewindowsvrThu, 10 Nov 2016 09:00:00 -050021|21602790https://www.engadget.com/2016/11/01/the-first-vr-ready-windows-10-phone-arrives-next-week/https://www.engadget.com/2016/11/01/the-first-vr-ready-windows-10-phone-arrives-next-week/https://www.engadget.com/2016/11/01/the-first-vr-ready-windows-10-phone-arrives-next-week/#comments

An upgraded version of Alcatel's Idol 4S smartphone will soon be available with Windows 10 Mobile in the US. T-Mobile will be stocking the unique handset, which comes with a Snapdragon 820 processor (a marked improvement over its Android predecessor), 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. You'll be controlling Microsoft's colorful software on a 5.5-inch, 1080p display, which can easily turn into a desktop-lite experience thanks to Continuum. The fingerprint sensor on the back, meanwhile, works with Windows Hello, giving you secure unlocks. Otherwise, it's an attractive but unremarkable device to showcase the flagging mobile OS.

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alcatelgearidol4smicrosoftmobilevirtualrealityvrwindows10windows10mobileTue, 01 Nov 2016 11:40:00 -040021|21596317https://www.engadget.com/2016/10/25/blackberrys-third-android-phone-packs-a-fingerprint-sensor/https://www.engadget.com/2016/10/25/blackberrys-third-android-phone-packs-a-fingerprint-sensor/https://www.engadget.com/2016/10/25/blackberrys-third-android-phone-packs-a-fingerprint-sensor/#comments
BlackBerry has announced the DTEK60, the second in its range of Android smartphones manufactured by a third party. Like the DTEK50, the actual device has been put together by TCL, leaving BlackBerry with the job of making sure that it's secure enough to be loved by corporations. The biggest new feature, compared to its predecessor, is the new fingerprint scanner that allows you to unlock the device as well as use Android Pay.
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alcatelblackberryblackberrydtek60dtek60gearmobilesecuritytclTue, 25 Oct 2016 08:00:00 -040021|21591096https://www.engadget.com/2016/09/05/alcatel-vision-hands-on/https://www.engadget.com/2016/09/05/alcatel-vision-hands-on/https://www.engadget.com/2016/09/05/alcatel-vision-hands-on/#comments
While Samsung's Gear VR requires a smartphone and full-fledged headsets like the Oculus Rift require a computer, Alcatel's newly announced Vision doesn't need either. Indeed, it's a standalone VR headset, which is still something of a rarity in the VR world. Intel announced its own Project Alloy about a month ago and smaller companies like Sulon have come out with prototypes, but the Vision is the first working model I've actually had the chance to try on. As cool as it is though, I have to admit it faces stiff competition from the likes of Gear VR as well as upcoming Daydream-compatible phones and headsets.
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alcatelgadgetrygadgetsgaminggearifaifa2016mobilepersonal computingpersonalcomputingvirtualrealityvisionvrwearablesMon, 05 Sep 2016 08:53:00 -040021|21465562https://www.engadget.com/2016/09/02/alcatels-new-budget-smartwatch-is-designed-for-grownups/https://www.engadget.com/2016/09/02/alcatels-new-budget-smartwatch-is-designed-for-grownups/https://www.engadget.com/2016/09/02/alcatels-new-budget-smartwatch-is-designed-for-grownups/#comments

A few years back, Alcatel surprised plenty of people by announcing its own smartwatch, the originally-named, uh, Watch. Now, the company has arrived at IFA 2016 with the follow up, that takes much of the same technology but puts it in far nicer clothes. The MoveTime WiFi uses the same basic operating system as the Watch, and has the same optical heart rate monitor, but gains a WiFi radio for better connectivity. The big selling point is the more mature case, and the new device looks a lot more mature, even if some of the original device's uniqueness has been lost in the process.

Alcatel is not a big player in the global smartphone market, but that fact that it just launched a standalone headset shows how ubiquitous VR is about to become. The Vision doesn't require a separate smartphone like Samsung's Gear VR, but has all the guts of a mobile phone built right in. That includes an eight-core CPU, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, Bluetooth, LTE and a suite of sensors including an accelerometer, gyro and proximity sensor.

Alcatel isn't a tier-one company. And the Idol 4S, its latest creation, isn't a tier-one phone. So why did we even bother reviewing it, then? It's all about the value -- specifically, what comes in the box. For $399 (or $350, if you pre-order), you get both the mid-range phone and a simple virtual reality headset to go with it. It's true, this VR viewer isn't at the same level as the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive or even the Samsung Gear VR, but it's good enough for people who haven't yet experienced this whole virtual reality thing and are keen to give it a try.

As for the phone itself, we enjoyed its loud, two-way speakers and bright 5.5-inch AMOLED display. Just know that because this is a mid-range phone, after all, the performance and camera won't match any of the high-end devices we typically review. If you weren't going to spend high-end money anyway, and are also looking to get into VR, this could be the ticket.

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alcatelalcatelidol4savgadgetrygadgetsgearidol4sminireviewmobilereviewuk-reviewsvideovrSat, 30 Jul 2016 12:30:00 -040021|21436533https://www.engadget.com/2016/07/13/alcatel-idol-4s-arrives-in-the-us-with-vr-goggles-for-350/https://www.engadget.com/2016/07/13/alcatel-idol-4s-arrives-in-the-us-with-vr-goggles-for-350/https://www.engadget.com/2016/07/13/alcatel-idol-4s-arrives-in-the-us-with-vr-goggles-for-350/#comments
Now that high-end phone makers Samsung, LG and HTC have had their fun in the sun, it's time for their more affordable counterparts to enjoy the limelight. Alcatel is bringing its Idol 4S flagship to the US for a pre-order price of $350 ($400 retail), and you can start ordering at 8 a.m. PT on July 15 via Alcatel's website. The company is also offering an installment payment option that lets you get the Idol 4S at $37 a month.
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alcatelgadgetrygadgetsgearidol4smobilepersonal computingpersonalcomputingsmartphoneWed, 13 Jul 2016 17:00:00 -040021|21430979https://www.engadget.com/2016/02/26/mwc-revisited-virtual-reality/https://www.engadget.com/2016/02/26/mwc-revisited-virtual-reality/https://www.engadget.com/2016/02/26/mwc-revisited-virtual-reality/#comments

With Mobile World Congress done and dusted, it's time to take stock of what we've seen over the past week. Sure, we were treated to the usual menagerie of mobile devices, but for the second year running, virtual reality played a big part of the proceedings. Here's our official scorecard for the new, not-actually-that-mobile part of Mobile World Congress.

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alcateldolbygadgetrygadgetsgearhtclgmobilemwcmwc2016samsungFri, 26 Feb 2016 13:36:00 -050021|21318957https://www.engadget.com/2016/02/26/mwc-2016-best-phones/https://www.engadget.com/2016/02/26/mwc-2016-best-phones/https://www.engadget.com/2016/02/26/mwc-2016-best-phones/#comments
The booths have been dismantled, the bigwigs have boarded their planes and the doors have been closed. That's a wrap for Mobile World Congress 2016. Now that our team has had a chance to kick back and reflect on the mobile maelstrom we've just waded through, meet the four smartphones (in no particular order) that stole our hearts and stole the show.
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alcatelg5galaxys7edgegearidol4slglgg5mi5mobilemobileworldcongressmwcmwc2016s7edgesamsungxiaomiFri, 26 Feb 2016 11:00:00 -050021|21319107